I do not own Young Justice or any of its characters, those rights remain to Young Justice's original creators whomever they may be. I DO, however, own the plot and storyline written here.
Please leave comments/encouragement/reviews at the end of each chapter to motivate me faster~
Chapter one:
Jaime Reyes woke up to the sound of the alarm clock like every other day, with chicken whizee bags littering his bed and the blanket thrown half-off. Jaime stirred slowly and frowned at the cold air that instantly sapped heat from his bare torso when he moved from his warm spot in the bed.
Stretching his stiff muscles, he groaned quietly and began his daily ritual of shower-dress-downstairs. But today's ritual was interrupted by the fact that when Jaime got out of his shower and into his room his only choice of shirts were wifebeaters.
Dios mio, where are all my shirts?
"Mom, where's my shirts?" Jaime asked as he got to the bottom of the steps. Today marked the end of summer vacation and the beginning of another year of high school. He at least wanted to try to look decent.
"Lo siento, están en la lavadora." his mom called back.
Jaime groaned inward. There's no way they'd be out of the washer and dry in time for school.
His little sister came out of the kitchen then and scrunched her nose as she covered her eyes like his body was painfully hideous to look at, "Jaime, cover up. You'll ruin my eyes." she whined petulantly.
"Hey-" He interjected indignantly. There was nothing wrong with his body. He actually prided himself in having a very fit and (if he could be so bold) attractive body.
"Whatever, Milagro, me quieras." Jaime retorted and walked back upstairs in hopes of finding a non-wifebeater shirt that his mom may have missed on her laundry-cleaning splurge.
Unfortunately he had no such luck and had to simply accept that he was going to look like normal. Left with no real options, he decided to wear one of the newer, better looking (or at least less worn in) of the lot. It didn't really matter since his friend, Tye, wasn't the type to care, but still.
Jaime climbed back down the stairs with a shirt on this time and a backpack and sweater shoved under his arm.
"Adios mom, I'm going to school now!" he called out as he grabbed an apple and headed past his little sister for his skateboard by the door.
"Wait, Jaime!" his mom called back and Jaime stopped in his tracks, whilst shrugging his sweater on. His mom came out of the laundry room and down the hall, she was already dressed in her slacks and hotel manager blazer, her beautiful long silky hair pulled into a stiff mandatory knot.
The Latino woman pulled him into a strong embrace, which Jaime returned after a moments pause.
"Have a good day at school mi hijo, I'll take your sister to school and the bus will take her back so you don't have to worry about that okay?"
"'Kay mom." Jaime smiled into her hair, he hadn't always been taller than her he thought, he remembered that just last year he had been the same height.
"I love you." his mother gave a final squeeze before pulling back with a watery smile, bringing her hands to rest on his shoulders, "Are you sure you don't want a ride?"
"Yeah mom. Tye and I already decided to skateboard there together."
Jaime saw the brief disapproval that swept over his mom's features but she didn't voice her objections to his basically only friend. Jaime had once discussed it with her and explained how Tye's actually a good guy, even if he doesn't like to show it. His mother had trusted his judgement and said that she'd trust him until she found reason not to. So that's where it was left, with a shaky alliance.
"Okay. Be safe."
"We will." he promised with a smile.
Jaime pecked her on the cheek before dashing out, skateboard in hand.
Tye lived down the street some ways and it was a easy detour to make on the way to school. When Jaime got to the front door he heard the tell-tale signs of Maurice being there. Ms. Longshadow's choice in boyfriends was less than ideal and to be frank Jaime thought the guy, Maurice, was a grade A asshole; a fine specimen of evolution done wrong.
He knocked on the door and the loud voices paused. A few moments passed and he was about to knock again when the door burst open with a furious yank and Tye shoved his way out, a mumbled "Come on." leaving his lips for Jaime as he passed. Jaime paused for a second, frozen between his leaving friend and the open door. A quick glance at Maurice glaring at the youths inspired Jaime to shut the door and move to follow his friend.
"Hey hermano, wait up." he called as he stepped on his board and pushed off, quickly catching up with his still fast-walking friend. Jaime was no fool, he could see the pinched expression on Tye's face and the angry reddening of his cheeks. He knew Maurice was an ass and Tye took the blunt force of his asshole-ness on a almost daily basis.
"Listen man, he's just an asshole. Don't listen to what he says."
Tye gave a strained breathe, "Whatever man." he jumped on his board, taking the lead and making Jaime hurry to keep up.
At Rio Grande high school Tye and Jaime hung out before the bell rang and everyone, including them, headed towards the gym for their assembly. There was a surprising amount of freshmen this year Jaime noticed with a little awe as he looked across to where the freshmen were seated in their section of the gym's pullout bleachers. Tye snorted when Jaime voiced his awe, just saying how it'd be annoying having so many freshmen around.
"I don't even know why they have these things." Tye's husky voice spoke only for Jaime to hear, "They're totally lame."
Jaime just gave a noncommittal 'mm' before turning his attention back to the speaker. Unlike Tye, Jaime had nothing against assemblies-or school for that matter. Tye hated school and thought it was the most boring waste of time ever, while Jaime enjoyed the feel of learning new things and mastering new skills-not that he'd ever tell his friend. After the assembly Jaime and Tye went to their class table to recieve their schedule for the year.
"Whoa," Tye remarked as he scanned over Jaime's schedule, "Dude, did you seriously sign up for these classes?" he asked with his eyes slightly larger as he went further down the list.
"What?" Jaime looked over Tye's shoulder to observe what was wrong with his classes. He had signed up for all the same easy classes as Tye had so he was shocked to find that on the paper were anything but easy classes. "Wha?" his eyes widened as they fell on the most shocking of all-AP bio and Pre-calc.
Tye registered the shocked look on Jaime's face and handed the paper back, "They must have switched your schedule with someone's."
"Uh, oh, yeah man..." Jaime rubbed at the back of his neck self-conciously, "I'll just go to the office pronto and get my schedule..."
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After the bell rang to dismiss the students to their first class Jaime made a straight line for the front office, paper tightly gripped in his hand as if he were ready to throw it away or crumple it up at any moment. It had to be a joke, or a computer error. There's no way they would sign him up for those classes; Jaime had made sure that he recieved average grades in everything he did. There's no way it makes sense for them to give him these classes. He had to get to the office right now and sort this out.
"Oof!"
Jaime found himself thrown back suddenly.
He had collided painfully with some kid who had been in as much of a rush as he had been, only in the opposite dirrection-so their collision sent both of them bouncing back.
"Hey sorry man," Jaime looked down at the smaller kid who had been pushed back enough to be thrown off his feet. The unfortunate kid had the papers from his binder scrambled all over the hall, he was down on his knees scrambling himself to try and pick up the papers before the other students trampled all over them. For the most part they were stepping around the papers but no one was offering to help the young auburn either. Jaime bent down to help pile up the papers he had helped to spill.
"Hey, thanks bro!" The auburn said with a bright voice as Jaime handed him the papers he had gathered up.
"Uh, no, I actu-"
"Oh! Hey this is yours right?" The auburn was holding his schedule, "Jaime right?" he read, and then quickly scanned the schedule, "We have Bio and Pre-calc together-totally crash." the auburn rambled cheerfully with a grin plastered on his face.
"Uh-"
"Oh! I gotta get to my class!" Jaime noticed for the first time that the halls were pretty much empty, "Welp-here ya go!" He shoved the paper into Jaime's hands. "See you second period!" Then the auburn boy was dashing away at a surprisingly fast speed.
Jaime was frozen for a second, what the heck just happened?
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"Hey, uh, I think I got the wrong schedule." Jaime said when the office secretary turned her attention towards him. She gave him a polite smile and rolled her chair closer to the counter that separated them. Jaime passed the paper to her, feeling a blush creep on his cheeks in embarrassment and chagrin.
The secretary neutrally took the paper and returned to her desk, typing and clicking a few things on her computer before rolling back over towards him, "You're Jaimes Reyes?"
Jaime nodded, "Yeah, I mean-"
"Then these are your classes. If you want them changed you can sign in here" she pulled up a clipboard with slots for names and reason for appt and placed it on the counter as she spoke, "sign here and write 'classes' to meet the councilor." She offered kindly with a smile and rolled back to her work.
"Uh..." Jaime stared at the paper which had been confirmed to be his... "Thanks?"
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As his current schedule was, Jaime had zero classes with Tye.
He was a little worried about his schedule but he had decided to give it a try. If he didn't like it he could always switch it some time in the next two weeks.
First period, he found, was easy. Apparently most students used it for a study hall with credits since they barely worked in there. The teacher spent most of the period introducing the class and herself before saying that they had one worksheet that needed to be turned in by the end of the week. As easy as it was, Jaime finished his before the period ended, using his free time to examine and memorize his schedule. First period intro to health, second period Pre-Calculas, Third period free period, fourth period AP bio, fifth period government/economics, sixth period English, and seventh period creative communications.
Along with that he memorized the teachers names and room numbers.
When the bell finally rang he took a deep breath and headed for his next class: Pre-calc.
He had been in this classroom before for algebra II but he didn't feel comforted at all by the familiarity. As he took a seat towards the back Jaime couldn't help but feel like an imposter who had snuck into the wrong class. When the teacher took rollcall he kept waiting for him to look at him and tell him that he'd walked into the wrong room. But that didn't happen. The teacher called Jaime's name, to which he responded a little reluctantly with a 'here' and a risen hand. The teacher then gave Jaime a smile that he didn't know the meaning behind and continued on his way. Just as the teacher was about to begin he scanned his eyes over the classes, "Any of you have an eye problem or can't see the board clearly?" he asked the class.
The girl next to Jaime, he recognized her as Melissa a girl in his same grade, raised her hand hesitantly, "I don't get my contacts until next week." she explained apologetically.
"Would anyone in the front row care to trade with Melissa?"
Instantly a hand shot up from the middle front row.
"Ah.." the teacher looked down at his clipboard, "Bart Allen?"
"Yup." the auburn from before chirped as he quickly packed his stuff back up for the move.
"That's very generous of you sir." the math teacher had a habit of calling all the males 'sir' and the females 'my dear', no one minded.
Jaime watched as the auburn, Bart apparently, took the seat directly next to him.
The teacher began with his introduction and his rehashing of what they'd all been taught last year in algebra II. Luckily Jaime retained information really well, so when the auburn, Bart he reminded himself, started talking he didn't miss anything.
"Hey, Jaime." Bart whispered with that big goofy grin of his which Jaime was starting to think was permanently stuck on the kids face-speaking of which why was Bart in Pre-calc? Freshmen should be in algebra II tops.
Bart whispered his name again when he got no response from the older teen.
"What?" Jaime sighed, not bothering to turn to the kid as he scribbled down notes without thinking about their meaning.
"It's totally crash that we're in the same class right? It's like destiny." There was that word again, 'crash', what the hell did that mean?
Jaime turned his face to give an exasperated look until his soft brown met bright green eyes which left him a little disorientated. How hadn't he noticed those before? Jaime frowned at the younger teen and scrunched his eyebrows. He was still talking, something crash something mode. Jaime impatiently held up his hand to stop the green-eyed teen, "Wait," he whispered and was quickly rewarded with a hushed silence from the other teen, "What are you talking about? 'crash'? 'mode'?"
Bart had just opened his mouth to answer when-"Pay attention in the back." the teacher commanded and both boys mouths shut with an audible snap before the teacher returned his attention to the board and continued. A few scattered laughs could be heard for a brief second.
Jaime sunk into his seat and felt his blood race to color his cheeks. Jaime felt utterly humiliated and it was only the first day. He spent the remainder of the class shooting glares at the kid who had caused his embarrassment between taking notes on already well-known formulas, steps, and problems.
Bart seemed wholly unphased as he switched easily from talking to working through problems with ease.
After second period was a break and then Jaime's free period. He felt annoyed to find that the auburn who had caused him embarrassment was hanging around him still as he packed his work and supplies.
"So what do you have next?" the auburn asked without knowing the agitation that Jaime felt.
Jaime ran his hand through his short black hair to help sooth his irritability. His hand subconsciously stopped at the base of his neck and began to broadly massage it. Jaime's anger subsided as he looked at Bart. Jaime was a whole head taller than the other boy, with broader shoulders and more defined muscles. If Bart had muscles they were wirey and lean like Bart's body. He let off a friendly, cheerful aura that Jaime was sure made the other boy popular with the girls. But his main attraction was his face, with auburn hair that was light and framed his features attractively. He didn't have those dorky freckles that so often accompanied auburns either, though Jaime was sure that if Bart did have them then they would only add to him and not take away. But the main allure was his eyes. Bart's eyes were a bright green like Jaime had never seen before, eyes that popped out almost as much as his personality.
"HELLO?" Bart drew out the word as he rapidly waved his hand before Jaime's eyes, "You in there?"
"Huh?" Jaime realized he'd been staring at Bart and had been asked a question which he couldn't quite remember any more, "Sorry, what was the question?"
Bart chuckled goodnaturedly, "I asked what you have next."
"Huh? Oh, free period."
"Sweet. I help in the office, which I hear is basically like a free period."
"Uh, cool." Jaime didn't know what to say. He didn't know why he was still here talking to Bart when he should be finding Tye to be getting persuaded out of keeping his classes.
"So maybe we'll see eachother!"
"Uh, yeah, maybe." Jaime looked at the clock, he didn't have long before the bell rang and he couldn't see Tye because he'd be in class.
"Oh you're leaving?" Bart observed as Jaime slung the backpack over his shoulder.
Jaime mumbled something about maybe seeing him later before exiting the classroom.
"Hey man, where've you been?" Tye looked at Jaime's serious face before it relaxed with familiarity.
"Sorry ese, there was-" Jaime was about to tell Tye about Bart, the cheery freshman that seemed to want to be his friend, until he thought better of it, knowing Tye's response even before he gave it.
"I don't know." Jaime mumbled as he dropped his backpack to the table-bench that Tye was leaning on, "So, how are your classes so far?"
A satisfied smile reached Tye's lips, "So easy. Business man is laughable."
Business math, that's what Jaime should have too.
Jaime let out a nervous laugh, "Yeah, Pre-calc doesn't seem that bad either."
There was a pause where Tye gave Jaime a weird look, "Wait, you mean you're sticking with those classes?"
Jaime shifted his gaze around before looking at Tye again and rubbing the back of his neck out of habit, "I figured I'd give it a try. If I don't like it I can always switch out."
"Whatever man," Tye shook his head, "You wanna hit the arcade after school?"
Jaime thought about it; he didn't have to take his sister home apparently but he also didn't know how much homework he had yet.
Ah screw it, Jaime thought, it's the first day of school-they won't give us any homework.
AP Bio, as Jaime expected, was filled with the top people of his class, people that he didn't know other than from pictures on the school bulletin, and that persistent auburn that seemed to have a fix on Jaime. The second that Jaime took a seat in the middle area of the two-seat tables Bart was there, stealing the seat right out from under a sophomore girl who had obviously been heading for that seat.
"Heyyy Jaime." Bart drawled smoothly.
"Hey." Jaime greeted. He didn't dislike the kid; in fact, in the little snips of conversations they had shared he had grown a little fond of him, but he also didn't expect the kid to stay around him once he got to know him. Jaime wasn't well known even in his class. He was just that unknown variable that fell through the social cracks. Maybe it was the way he always lapsed into Spanish when he got frustrated or nervous. Maybe it was the way he mumbled things to himself when he thought no one was listening. But either way no one was interested in what Jaime Reyes was doing-why should Bart Allen be any different?
"So we're Bio partners now too." Bart remarked as he pulled out his binder and pencil.
Jaime mimicked the action; he didn't know what else really to do and it didn't seem like a bad idea. While he did this he let out a breath and decided to say what he'd been thinking for a while. "Why are you doing this?"
Bart's head quirked to the side curiously. "Doing what?" he asked, his eyebrows scrunched together to form a crease.
"This." Jaime gestured with his hands to the seat Bart had chosen, then to the space between them, then to himself, and lastly to everything in general, "Why are you so interested in me?"
Bart's eyebrows seemed to form a deeper crease.
Jaime waited for an answer for almost a whole minute until the bell rang and he accepted that he wasn't going to get one. He broke the eyecontact that he had with Bart and turned his eyes reluctantly to the board where the teacher was beginning to write all about cells and their structure.
"Because I can tell you're one of the good guys."
The sentence caught Jaime off guard. The serious tone it was spoken with didn't seem to match Bart at all, and Jaime didn't even register it was Bart that had said until a few seconds afterwards. Then he had to remember what question it was answering. Finally he had to actually figure out what the words meant put together.
A 'good guy', huh, Jaime thought, that was a new one. He didn't know what to think of it other than it was new.
He caught Bart glancing at him throughout the class after that and he found it considerably harder to focus when he had the younger teen's words echoing in his head.
"Hey Tye," Jaime spoke between bites of his sandwich, "Would you say I'm a 'good guy'?"
Tye raised an eyebrow before lowering his own sandwich, "A good guy? Like a super hero?"
"I don't know." Jaime rubbed his neck and focused on his coarse hands over his warm, tan skin.
"I don't know man," Tye's husky voice dipped into the tone that Jaime knew meant he was was curious, "So what's up with the weird question?"
"Uh..." Jaime met Tye's dark brown eyes with his own soft brown before flicking them back to his sandwich, "I...what would you think if someone said that they thought you were a 'good guy'?" Jaime's head was swimming for reasons he didn't know and he didn't like the feeling of being so confused.
Tye's lip quirked up in the corner. His friend was so oblivious sometimes, sometimes he really needed things to be spelled out to him. "I..." he purposedly drew a pause, "would think they like me."
That must have done it, Tye thought; because at those words Jaime began to choke on the air he was swallowing.
L-like?, Jaime thought, Dios mio, that can't be right.
"Shit Tye." Jaime coughed out as he registered his friends laughter, "That's not funny."
"Seriously though, who is she?" Tye asked with a grin formed on his lips.
"Sh-shut up! Like I'd tell you man!"
"Whatever" Tye rolled his eyes, "First girl I see you with is suspect number one."
Somehow that's fine with me, Jaime thought, since it's not a girl.
"Whatever." Jaime grunted as he put his almost done sandwich down and crossed his arms over his chest.
Tye chuckled a little more before letting the topic drop and the conversation flow into different areas.
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Seventh period Jaime got another surprise as he walked into the current events room. Actually, he got a few; the first was that there were more than one teachers-there were two, while the second was that Bart Allen was quickly becoming what Jaime referred to as a 'stalker'. The younger teen's face had lit up the second that he saw Jaime walk through the door and he had quickly waved him over to share the table he was at. Jaime, being someone who didn't like to insult others, obliged and took the seat next to the auburn.
"Dude! This is so destiny!" Bart exclaimed, "It's like the universe saying we should be friends!"
"Dios mio." Jaime mumbled, "How does this keep happening?"
"I told you-universe."
He heard that?
"I still don't get what's wrong with you." Jaime mumbled.
"Wrong?" Bart's eyebrows knit together, "Nothing's wrong. I just have good eyes."
El es loco.
"What do we do in this class anyways?" Jaime asked as he rested his overheated face against the cool table. Why does everything about this guy feel so difficult?
"I don't know." Bart chirped cheerfully, "But I hear it's totally easy and fun."
Jaime closed his eyes and waited for the clock to tic to the beginning of the class.
"Can anyone tell me what we do in creative communications?" one of the two teachers asked.
No hands.
"Anyone?...Yes, you."
"Don't we watch movies and then make movies?"
"Correct we watch movies more indepth and observe the techniques used in-"
Oh, Jaime thought, so that's what we do in here.
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Jaime exited the classroom the second that the bell rang and found Tye in the front of the school.
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One of the reasons that Jaime's mom didn't like Tye Longshadow was because he constantly made Jaime come home late, such was the case today-or rather *tonight*.
"Jaime!" His mom gave him a stern look as he tried to slip through the front door unnoticed, "Dinner's cold. Where were you?" her accent was heaviest when she was angry.
"Lo siento mom, fue con Tye." Jaime tried to ease her anger.
His mother's face darkened but she clipped off whatever she was going to say next, instead saying, "Call me next time you're going to be late." Her voice was void of the emotions but the accent still lingered, something that he thought was a lot scarier than when she yelled at him.
"I didn't realize..." he heard his voice waver, he should have called her...
His mom let out a sigh and her face instantly softened, "I'm sorry I got angry. Go wash up and I'll re-heat dinner."
"Si."
"How was school?" she asked as he returned and took a seat at the table.
"I..." Jaime paused, and instead of explaining it he decided to pull the paper with his schedule out. He passed it to her as she placed his plate down. Her eyes slowly looked over the schedule as she registered each class with awe.
"Impressive mi hijo." she complemented, "I always knew you were intelligent."
Jaime's cheeks and ears reddened at the complement, "I-you don't think it'll be too hard for me?"
"Of course not." she didn't paused to answer, "You are so much smarter than you lead yourself to think."
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Jaime fell asleep that night with thoughts of a new perspective of himself. He imagined himself being 'smart' and a 'good guy' and felt a smile tug on his lazy lips as he slipped into blissful dreams.